Weeknight Ramen – Alison Mountford

By Alison Mountford, contributing chef to RINewsToday 

ACTIVE TIME – 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME – 20 minutes

• If you’re into incredible ramen from restaurants be aware: this is not that. This is, “I love ramen’s comforting vibe and slurpy noodles, but I don’t have any seaweed on hand or time to cook a 15-hour dashi broth, but I still think I can do better than “college microwave ramen” ramen. It’s perfect for a speedy Tuesday night meal. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 teaspoons fresh ginger
• 1 ounce dried mushrooms

1 Tablespoon canola oil

• 4 cup chicken stock
• 4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 eggs
• 2 carrots

1 cup cilantro

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (or the any kind you have)
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 packages of ramen noodles (instant kind – noodles only!)
• 1 bunch kale or baby spinach
• Sriracha, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

BROTH

Mince the garlic and fresh ginger. (Reserve a teaspoon or so of garlic for the breadcrumbs). Chop the dried mushrooms up a little bit.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium low heat. Add the garlic and fresh ginger; sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms, the stock, soy sauce, and the water and bring to a simmer. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes.

EGGS
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower eggs into water one at a time. Cook for 6½ minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a gentle boil the whole time. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill until just slightly warm, about 2 minutes.

Gently crack eggs all over and peel, starting from the wider end, which contains the air pocket. Set aside for serving.

TOPPINGS

Grate the carrot on a box grater and set aside for serving. Chop the cilantro and set aside for serving.

BREADCRUMBS

Use a large sauté pan and melt the butter. Add the panko and stir often, for about 3 minutes until it’s golden brown; add a pinch of salt. Turn off the heat and continue to stir occasionally as it cools so the bottom doesn’t burn.

NOODLES

After the broth has simmered for 10 minutes, add the noodles to the pot. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the noodles have softened.

KALE/SPINACH

Wash and shake dry the kale or spinach, some clinging water is ok. Stack and roll up the leaves and very finely chiffonade through the leaves and center stems. When the noodles are tender, stir in the kale and let it wilt.

SERVING

In large bowls, ladle in broth and noodles. Top each bowl with grated carrots, cilantro, and  breadcrumbs. Slice eggs in half and float them on top. Drizzle on sriracha to taste.

Download for printable file: https://rinewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Weeknight-Ramen-Alison-Mountford-for-RINewsToday.pdf

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Chef Alison Mountford is the founder of Ends+Stems – which is a meal planning membership and recipe website to reduce food waste. “Chef Alison” also hosts a series of online courses for easier weeknight meals and feeding picky eaters with less stress. Alison began in 2005 as a personal chef and caterer in San Francisco but she recently returned home to Rhode Island!

She is passionate about helping families eat well together, with less frustration. Alison is often hired as a speaker to share about household food waste, feeding busy families, and sustainability in the kitchen; she’s appeared many times on The Rhode Show and other podcasts and webinars.

Alison is also the Market Coordinator at Hope & Main – Rhode Island only culinary incubator – where she loves helping new food businesses expand their social media, brand, and increase sales at the farmer’s markets!